What brain surgery taught me about the fragile gift of consciousness

13 days ago

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Eric Markowitz experienced profound consciousness on the eve of brain surgery, feeling fully awake to existence's miracle and absurdity.
During recovery, he reflected on longevity as an active choice, practice, and philosophy, not just passive survival.
Consciousness, he concluded, is not just about neurons but also about care, love, and the willingness to choose life.
The night before surgery, he felt deeply connected to his wife, time, and the world, experiencing a luminous moment of presence.
He thought about his daughter growing up without him, feeling a deep, conscious love and sorrow.
Surgery preparation felt like entering sacred theater, with moments of irony, awe, and aliveness despite the risks.
Post-surgery, he faced a brutal recovery but clung to the 'survivor’s euphoria'—a reawakening to life’s fragility and beauty.
He realized survival depends on interconnected systems—medical, emotional, logistical—and active engagement with life.
Consciousness, for him, means paying attention, feeling deeply, and choosing to marvel at existence, even in pain.
His ordeal revealed that true consciousness lives in presence, awe, and the willingness to be changed by what we see.

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